|
Post by barryj21 on Jan 5, 2009 19:37:13 GMT
You are supposed to power cycle the battery once a month. Charge it up to 100%, then use the machine on battery until it completely drains. Finally, charge back up all the way.
Leaving it plugged in, or not allowing it completely drain and constantly topping up isn't good for it apparently.
|
|
|
Post by davidmn on Jan 5, 2009 19:58:18 GMT
fair enough, we live and learn
|
|
Alex Coplan
Senior Member
The future of mac...
Posts: 387
|
Post by Alex Coplan on Jan 5, 2009 23:29:57 GMT
Same goes for iPods/iPhones/anything rechargable I think
|
|
|
Post by CyberChimp on Jan 6, 2009 0:59:48 GMT
|
|
|
Post by wierdostomps on Jan 6, 2009 17:05:05 GMT
Aha! It might not be your battery that is dead. I have heard of situations like yours where the power management chip gets stuck. This seems particularly common if the machine runs out of juice while asleep. Before taking it to the Apple Store, try re-setting the System Management Controller by following the instructions on the Apple Website Here <clicky>. Tim
|
|
|
Post by davidmn on Jan 6, 2009 20:25:15 GMT
Nope, just did that. It didnt work, thanks for the advice though.
|
|
|
Post by davidmn on Jan 16, 2009 19:41:36 GMT
Im finally going to the Apple Store tomorrow! So this problem should be fixed.
Dave
|
|
|
Post by davidmn on Jan 17, 2009 12:53:21 GMT
I got it today, £97 (painful) and it works! Problem solved!
|
|
|
Post by HeatherKay on Jan 17, 2009 13:41:16 GMT
could you give me your tips on how to keep the battery in tip top condition? For a new battery, you need to "condition" it: the OS needs to know the extent of the battery's capacity, so from a full charge, let the battery go completely flat (when the Mac goes into deep hibernation mode). Then recharge the battery fully for a day or so. Then exercise it. Take it off the mains leash as often as you can. This applies to mobile phones, iPods and anything that uses Lithium rechargeable batteries. I regularly sit on the couch here at home, with the wifi network connection and screen on as low as practical, and let the battery level drop as low as I dare. Once a month, they say, you should perform what I think is known as a trickle discharge. This is where you use the Mac with the screen on the lowest practical setting, minimal wifi and bluetooth usage, and not using the optical drive whenever possible. With a full charge, this can take over five hours on my year-old MBP battery, but don't be tempted to speed up the process! Once the Mac has really run out of juice, including the reserve, and has gone to deep hibernation mode, plug it back in and let the battery recharge for 24 hours without using the machine if you can. You're supposed to do that once a month, apparently, but I find it's simply not a practical thing to do, so I exercise the battery by sofa surfing a couple of nights a week to get it down to 50% capacity or less. I'm sure someone's linked to the Apple knowledgebase articles on battery handling and conditioning earlier in this thread. It's important to remember also that even looked after well, a battery has a limited life span. Cared for, you will get several years' useful life, but all batteries conk out eventually.
|
|
|
Post by davidmn on Jan 17, 2009 14:41:11 GMT
thank you
|
|
|
Post by CyberChimp on Jan 19, 2009 14:38:11 GMT
A little Mac application which might be helpful for future battery monitoring is coconutBattery from the same people who made coconutWiFi. Among other things, it can show battery's current maximum capacity compared to it's orginal maximum capacity.
|
|
DaveB
Full Member
dwb
Posts: 93
|
Post by DaveB on Jan 19, 2009 15:04:18 GMT
Just a quick note, i recently got a logitech wireless headset, and intriguingly the instructions on prolonging battery life state something completely different to what i thought A few snippets out the manual:'Frequent charging of Lithium-ion type batteries is encouraged and may prolong battery life as Lithium-ion technologies do not exhibit battery 'memory' like other battery technologies do.' 'Also, deep discharging should be avoided as this may adversely affect battery life.' I always thought discharging the battery all the way down was good for it..? And for the best sentence in the whole manual:'If you suspect your battery may be dead, try charging it.' !!! ;D
|
|
|
Post by Forum Cat on Jan 19, 2009 15:08:31 GMT
I always thought discharging the battery all the way down was good for it..? I guess that in the danger of assuming that all battery technologies work the same way. There are so many alternatives out there it is hard to keep up with it.
|
|
Alex Coplan
Senior Member
The future of mac...
Posts: 387
|
Post by Alex Coplan on Jan 19, 2009 17:25:30 GMT
A little Mac application which might be helpful for future battery monitoring is coconutBattery from the same people who made coconutWiFi. Among other things, it can show battery's current maximum capacity compared to it's orginal maximum capacity. Just a warning, that cocunutWiFi completley wrecked my machine and after I installed it I kept getting random errors on trying to open other applications, "The application failed to launch" (11210 - Or something like that!?) This happened to random applications, and once it had started NO other applications would launch, after a reboot, everything works fine... for a couple of minutes, then the same thing happens again, once I got rid of that app everything was fine! The concept of the app is very good though! You can still get it if you want
|
|
|
Post by davidmn on Jan 19, 2009 20:21:21 GMT
i just use istat pro to monitor my hardware.
|
|